Measuring the Hall Effect in Dopings of Mn3Si2Te6

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

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Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/h989r484v

Abstract

Colossal Magnetoresistance (CMR) is an ill-understood property of some materials wherein resistance is reduced by several orders of magnitude when a magnetic field is applied. This is an even more extreme version of the well-known Giant Magnetoresistance (GMR) that finds ap plications in numerous memory storage devices today, meaning better understanding of CMR or knowledge of more CMR materials could prove highly beneficial. Mn3Si2Te6 is one such material, exhibiting a strong and unusual CMR effect when a magnetic field is applied along the c-axis. The MnTe structures within the crystal are believed to be responsible, so this study dopes other metals in for the Mn to observe the effect on electrical transport with a similar structure and less Mn. Cu and In were successfully doped in at concentrations of 15% and 30%. The Hall Effect was then measured in the doped samples, and from this the charge carrier densities determined and compared to the original undoped material. It was found that 15% dopings preserve a diminished form of Mn3Si2Te6’s properties while introducing new behavior related to the dopant ion, but 30% dopings induce more erratic behavior.

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